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141 records · Page 8

Core compressor exit stage study. Volume 3: Data and performance report for screening test configurations

Rear stage blading designs that have lower losses in their endwall boundary layer regions were developed. Test data and performance results for rotor B, stator B, and stator C - blading designs that offer promise of reducing endwall losses relative to the baseline are given. A low speed research compressor was the principal investigative tool. The tests were conducted using four identical stages of blading so that the test data would be obtained in a true multistage environment.

Wisler, D. C.↗

Aerodynamic Analysis of Multistage Turbomachinery Flows in Support of Aerodynamic Design

This paper summarizes the state of 3D CFD based models of the time average flow field within axial flow multistage turbomachines. Emphasis is placed on models which are compatible with the industrial design environment and those models which offer the potential of providing credible results at both design and off-design operating conditions. The need to develop models which are free of aerodynamic input from semi-empirical design systems is stressed. The accuracy of such models is shown to be dependent upon their ability to account for the unsteady flow environment in multistage turbomachinery. The relevant flow physics associated with some of the unsteady flow processes present in axial flow multistage machinery are presented along with procedures which can be used to account for them in 3D CFD simulations. Sample results are presented for both axial flow compressors and axial flow turbines which help to illustrate the enhanced predictive capabilities afforded by including these procedures in 3D CFD simulations. Finally, suggestions are given for future work on the development of time average flow models.

Adamczyk, John J.↗

Core compressor exit stage study. Volume 2: Data and performance report for the baseline configuration

The objective of the program is to develop rear stage blading designs that have lower losses in their endwall boundary layer regions. The overall technical approach in this efficiency improvement program utilized General Electric's Low Speed Research Compressor as the principal investigative tool. Tests were conducted in two ways: using four identical stages of blading so that test data would be obtained in a true multistage environment and using a single stage of blading so that comparison with the multistage test results could be made.

Wisler, D. C.↗

Parallel 3D Multi-Stage Simulation of a Turbofan Engine

A 3D multistage simulation of each component of a modern GE Turbofan engine has been made. An axisymmetric view of this engine is presented in the document. This includes a fan, booster rig, high pressure compressor rig, high pressure turbine rig and a low pressure turbine rig. In the near future, all components will be run in a single calculation for a solution of 49 blade rows. The simulation exploits the use of parallel computations by using two levels of parallelism. Each blade row is run in parallel and each blade row grid is decomposed into several domains and run in parallel. 20 processors are used for the 4 blade row analysis. The average passage approach developed by John Adamczyk at NASA Lewis Research Center has been further developed and parallelized. This is APNASA Version A. It is a Navier-Stokes solver using a 4-stage explicit Runge-Kutta time marching scheme with variable time steps and residual smoothing for convergence acceleration. It has an implicit K-E turbulence model which uses an ADI solver to factor the matrix. Between 50 and 100 explicit time steps are solved before a blade row body force is calculated and exchanged with the other blade rows. This outer iteration has been coined a "flip." Efforts have been made to make the solver linearly scaleable with the number of blade rows. Enough flips are run (between 50 and 200) so the solution in the entire machine is not changing. The K-E equations are generally solved every other explicit time step. One of the key requirements in the development of the parallel code was to make the parallel solution exactly (bit for bit) match the serial solution. This has helped isolate many small parallel bugs and guarantee the parallelization was done correctly. The domain decomposition is done only in the axial direction since the number of points axially is much larger than the other two directions. This code uses MPI for message passing. The parallel speed up of the solver portion (no 1/0 or body force calculation) for a grid which has 227 points axially.

Turner, Mark G.↗

Unsteady Flow in Multistage Turbines

The development of an efficient model for the response of a multistage turbine to either a total pressure or total temperature distortion is discussed. Each turbine blade row is modeled as an actuator disk and is often used to describe the flow through turbine and compressor blade rows. The flow approaching the blade row is assumed to be subsonic and inviscid. The distortion occurs at upstream infinity and is in the form of total pressure or total temperature. A solution was found to unsteady Euler equations by using a finite volume method. With prescribed inlet and boundary conditions flow variables such as density, pressure, and velocities can be calculated at cell centers in the entire flow region. The inlet and exit of the blade row coincide with lines of constant.

Surampudi, S. P.↗

A theory of post-stall transients in axial compression systems. I - Development of equations

An approximate theory is presented for post-stall transients in multistage axial compression systems. The theory leads to a set of three simultaneous nonlinear third-order partial differential equations for pressure rise, and average and disturbed values of flow coefficient, as functions of time and angle around the compressor. By a Galerkin procedure, angular dependence is averaged, and the equations become first order in time. These final equations are capable of describing the growth and possible decay of a rotating-stall cell during a compressor mass-flow transient. It is shown how rotating-stall-like and surgelike motions are coupled through these equations, and also how the instantaneous compressor pumping characteristic changes during the transient stall process.

Moore, F. K.↗

Unsteady aerodynamic interaction effects on turbomachinery blade life and performance

This paper is an attempt to address the impact of a class of unsteady flows on the life and performance of turbomachinery blading. These class of flows to be investigated are those whose characteristic frequency is an integral multiple of rotor shaft speed. Analysis of data recorded downstream of a compressor and turbine rotor will reveal that this class of flows can be highly three-dimensional and may lead to the generation of secondary flows within downstream blading. By explicitly accounting for these unsteady flows in the design of turbomachinery blading for multistage applications, it may be possible to bring about gains in performance and blade life.

Adamczyk, John J.↗

Application of Aeroelastic Solvers Based on Navier Stokes Equations

The propulsion element of the NASA Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) initiative is directed towards increasing the overall efficiency of current aircraft engines. This effort requires an increase in the efficiency of various components, such as fans, compressors, turbines etc. Improvement in engine efficiency can be accomplished through the use of lighter materials, larger diameter fans and/or higher-pressure ratio compressors. However, each of these has the potential to result in aeroelastic problems such as flutter or forced response. To address the aeroelastic problems, the Structural Dynamics Branch of NASA Glenn has been involved in the development of numerical capabilities for analyzing the aeroelastic stability characteristics and forced response of wide chord fans, multi-stage compressors and turbines. In order to design an engine to safely perform a set of desired tasks, accurate information of the stresses on the blade during the entire cycle of blade motion is required. This requirement in turn demands that accurate knowledge of steady and unsteady blade loading is available. To obtain the steady and unsteady aerodynamic forces for the complex flows around the engine components, for the flow regimes encountered by the rotor, an advanced compressible Navier-Stokes solver is required. A finite volume based Navier-Stokes solver has been developed at Mississippi State University (MSU) for solving the flow field around multistage rotors. The focus of the current research effort, under NASA Cooperative Agreement NCC3- 596 was on developing an aeroelastic analysis code (entitled TURBO-AE) based on the Navier-Stokes solver developed by MSU. The TURBO-AE code has been developed for flutter analysis of turbomachine components and delivered to NASA and its industry partners. The code has been verified. validated and is being applied by NASA Glenn and by aircraft engine manufacturers to analyze the aeroelastic stability characteristics of modem fans, compressors and turbines.

Keith, Theo G., Jr.↗

An Overview of Unsteady Three-Dimensional Navier-Stokes Simulations of Multistage Turbomachinery Flows

Fluid dynamics of turbomachines are complicated by inherently three dimensional structures such as endwall boundary layers, hub corner separation bubbles and tip-leakage flows. In addition, the relative motion between rotors and stators causes unsteady aerodynamic interactions to occur between blade rows. It is necessary to understand the aerodynamics associated with these interactions in order to design turbomachines that are both light and compact as well as reliable and efficient. An unsteady, three-dimensional, thin-layer, Navier-Stokes zonal algorithm is used to investigate the unsteady aerodynamics of multi-stage turbines and compressors. Relative motion between rotors and stators is made possible by the use of systems of patched and overlaid grids. Time-averaged pressures and pressure envelopes have been computed for several two- and three-dimensional single- and multi-stage configurations. Flow visualizations and computed results are in good agreement with experimental data.

Gundy-Burlet, Karen L.↗

Results of an Advanced Fan Stage Operating Over a Wide Range of Speed and Bypass Ratio: Comparison of CFD and Experimental Results - Part 2

NASA and GE teamed to design and build a 57 percent engine scaled fan stage for a Mach 4 variable cycle turbofan/ramjet engine for access to space with multipoint operations. This fan stage was tested in NASA's transonic compressor facility. The objectives of this test were to assess the aerodynamic and aero mechanic performance and operability characteristics of the fan stage over the entire range of engine operation including: 1) sea level static take-off; 2) transition over large swings in fan bypass ratio; 3) transition from turbofan to ramjet; and 4) fan wind-milling operation at high Mach flight conditions. This paper will focus on an assessment of APNASA, a multistage turbomachinery analysis code developed by NASA, to predict the fan stage performance and operability over a wide range of speeds (37 to 100 percent) and bypass ratios.

Celestina, Mark L.↗

Rotor-Stator Interaction Performance Effects

Decreased axial spacing between blade rows in an axial compressor stage is thought to increase stage performance because of an unsteady process that occurs in the downstream blade row and acts on the upstream blade row wakes. This process results in the "recovery" of part of the wake energy before all of this energy is irreversibly lost due to viscous diffusion. To study the wake-blade interaction mechanism, researchers at the NASA Lewis Research Center acquired two-component Laser Fringe Anemometer measurements of the rotor wake in the single-stage transonic compressor at two stage loading levels. The detailed measurements were acquired for one stator pitch in circumference at axial positions from the rotor trailing edge to 20 percent of the stator axial chord, at the exit of the stator passage, and downstream of the stator row including the stator wake. These data show that the changes in wake energy that occur inside the stator passage are not due to viscous dissipation alone, and thus the data provide evidence that "wake recovery" is occurring. A time-accurate, three-dimensional Navier Stokes simulation of the compressor stator was done at the corresponding stage loading levels. The measurements and simulations are being used in combination to show the effects of stator blade loading, quantify the effects of viscosity, and quantify the stage efficiency gain due to the wake recovery process. The accuracy of simple models of the wake recovery process is being evaluated in an effort to include the effects of wake recovery in the NASA-developed Average Passage code for multistage turbomachinery simulations.

VanZante, Dale E.↗

Core compressor exit stage study. Volume 1: Blading design

A baseline compressor test stage was designed as well as a candidate rotor and two candidate stators that have the potential of reducing endwall losses relative to the baseline stage. These test stages are typical of those required in the rear stages of advanced, highly-loaded core compressors. The baseline Stage A is a low-speed model of Stage 7 of the 10 stage AMAC compressor. Candidate Rotor B uses a type of meanline in the tip region that unloads the leading edge and loads the trailing edge relative to the baseline Rotor A design. Candidate Stator B embodies twist gradients in the endwall region. Candidate Stator C embodies airfoil sections near the endwalls that have reduced trailing edge loading relative to Stator A. Tests will be conducted using four identical stages of blading so that the designs described will operate in a true multistage environment.

Wisler, D. C.↗

High-Fidelity Three-Dimensional Simulation of the GE90

A full-engine simulation of the three-dimensional flow in the GE90 94B high-bypass ratio turbofan engine has been achieved. It would take less than 11 hr of wall clock time if starting from scratch through the exploitation of parallel processing. The simulation of the compressor components, the cooled high-pressure turbine, and the low-pressure turbine was performed using the APNASA turbomachinery flow code. The combustor flow and chemistry were simulated using the National Combustor Code (NCC). The engine simulation matches the engine thermodynamic cycle for a sea-level takeoff condition. The simulation is started at the inlet of the fan and progresses downstream. Comparisons with the cycle point are presented. A detailed look at the blockage in the turbomachinery is presented as one measure to assess and view the solution and the multistage interaction effects.

Turner, Mark G.↗

Core compressor exit stage study, volume 6

Rear stage blading designs that have lower losses in their endwall boundary layer regions were studied. A baseline Stage A was designed as a low-speed model of stage 7 of a 10-stage compressor. Candidate rotors and stators were designed which have the potential of reducing endwall losses relative to the baseline. Rotor B uses a type of meanline in the tip region that unloads the leading edge and loads the trailing edge relative to the baseline rotor A designs. Rotor C incorporates a more skewed (hub strong) radial distribution of total pressure and smoother distribution of static pressure on the rotor tip than those of rotor B. Candidate stator B embodies twist gradients in the endwall region. Stator C embodies airfoil sections near the endwalls that have reduced trailing edge loading relative to stator A. The baseline and candidate bladings were tested using four identical stages to produce a true multistage environment. Single-stage tests were also conducted. The test data were analyzed and performances were compared. Several of the candidate configurations showed a performance improvement relative to the baseline.

Wisler, D. C.↗

Effect of particle presence on the incompressible inviscid flow through a two dimensional compressor cascade

A computational model is developed for calculating the flow field, in the presence of solid particles, through a two-dimensional compressor cascade. Results show that the effect of solid particles on the flow field contributes to the bending of the streamlines toward the blade suction surface. It is determined that the difference in the pressure coefficient for particulate flow, with 165 micron diameter for the particles, is of the order of 3 percent over the air only flow. The change in the pressure coefficients is shown to be much larger for very small particles. It was found that the total pressure loss associated with the particulate flow is very high for very small particles as compared with large particles. The total pressure loss is also shown to be higher for accelerating flow than for decelerating flow. The total pressure loss is shown to be directly proportional to the particle concentration. It is concluded that significant reductions in performance can occur in a real multistage machine due to the changes in the pressure ratios, particularly if the suspended matter is small particles.

Balan, C.↗